CHP releases dramatic dashcam video showing officers swept away in Montecito mudslide
The California Highway Patrol has released a dramatic new video of officers in a squad car being swept away in a mudslide in Montecito.
The dashcam video explains that the officers were responding to a structure fire on January 9, 2018, when they unknowingly drove directly into the path of the mudflow. The early morning incident happened before deadly mudslides had been reported.
In the video a fast-moving tide of mud and debris lifts the CHP vehicle off the ground. The vehicle spins around before regaining traction after about 15 seconds. Both officers escaped unharmed.
The mudslide was on Olive Mill Road off Highway 101.
Twenty deaths have been reported in the January mudslides, which followed the devastating Thomas Fires in December. Four people are still reported missing.
David Caraccio: 916-321-1125, @DavidCaraccio
This story was originally published January 29, 2018 at 10:13 AM with the headline "CHP releases dramatic dashcam video showing officers swept away in Montecito mudslide."